ExxonMobil recommits to global support for malaria

In recognition of World Malaria Day, ExxonMobil announced on Tuesday that it is renewing support for local and global organizations working to end malaria around the world. Grants made this year will continue ExxonMobil’s longstanding support for efforts to fight the disease that, although preventable, treatable and curable, takes the lives of more than 425,000 each year.

ExxonMobil’s malaria initiative focuses on advancing science, providing training and building leadership capacity for health workers, as well as delivering lifesaving tools and health services to people at risk of infection.

“Defeating malaria will help build a better, healthier future for people and their communities,” said Ben A. Soraci, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “ExxonMobil continues to invest in partnerships that advance our scientific understanding of malaria and can translate knowledge into impact.”

ExxonMobil works with partners across Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea and Tanzania to raise awareness and advocate for solutions to fight the disease. Planned activities and public events include voluntary testing and counseling sessions, mosquito net distribution, community clean-up campaigns, school engagements, and public awareness campaigns.

ExxonMobil has invested a total of $163 million since 2000 when its program began, supporting the delivery of 14.3 million bed nets to prevent mosquito bites, nearly 3 million rapid tests to diagnose the disease, 4.3 million antimalarial treatments and training for nearly 600,000 health workers. ExxonMobil’s 2017 grants total $8 million.

“The aspirations are now clear. Countries are aligning around malaria elimination within their borders and their regions,” said Dr. Regina Rabinovich, ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Eliminating disease is no simple feat. To make this ambition a reality, we need continued scientific advances to develop new strategies and tools.”

2017 grant recipients include:

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, to advance scientific knowledge of the opportunities for and challenges of malaria eradication; ExxonMobil also recently co-sponsored Harvard’s “Rethinking Malaria Leadership Forum.”

ExxonMobil Global Health Scholars program at Oxford, to train the next generation of leaders and researchers working in international health and tropical medicine.

Medicines for Malaria Venture, to discover, develop and deliver effective and affordable new antimalarial medicines for vulnerable populations.

PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, to accelerate the development of malaria vaccines and ensure their availability and accessibility in developing countries.